This invention relates in general to a self-feeder for livestock and, in particular, to a feeder actuated by the animal for effecting the discharge of feed.
More specifically, but without restriction to the particular use which is shown and described for convenience of illustration, this invention relates to a feeder which provides controlled dispensing of the feed contained therein substantially dispensing of the quantity of feed contained in a main feed hopper.
In raising some livestock, for example hogs, a common practice is to utilize self-feeders wherein a large hopper is used to contain a substantial quantity of feed material which is then dispensed by the feeding hogs using their snouts to cause the feed in the container to be delivered into a feeding trough. One such self-feeder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,392,004 which utilizes a container for retaining a quantity of feed which is dispensed between the open container bottom and a feed trough. Feed is dispensed by the action of the hog's snout pushing against an agitating rod which functions to agitate the feed causing it to move downwardly in the container, and against which continued pushing will cause the container to rotate upon its base for additional dispensing. Other self-feeders are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,879,247 and 2,153,455 both of which utilize an animal actuated adjustable agitator positioned at the bottom of the feed container which functions in cooperation with the bottom of the feed container to dispense feed into the feed trough.
While each of these prior art patents disclose a self-feeder apparatus, the discharge opening between the feed container and the feeding trough in each is fixed. Therefore, the quantity of feed dispensed by the animal is dependent upon the amount of feed contained in the container. Since the feed metering throat or gate is fixed and cannot be varied in accordance with the quantity of feed consumed from the container, changes in the amount of feed material contained within the feed storage hopper causes the quantity of feed dispensed to the animal to vary. Such apparatus will dispense the feed, but frequently the apparatus permits the animal to dispense too much feed resulting in spoilage and waste.
In order to provide an animal feeder wherein the quantity of feed dispensed may be varied in response to variation in the quantity of feed material contained in the feed storage hopper, feeders such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,644,425 have been developed. The feeder disclosed therein permits the space between the open discharge end of the feed storage hopper and the bottom of the feed trough to be adjusted by raising or lowering the feed hopper in response to variations in the quantity of feed material contained therein. In order to reduce the bulk and consequent weight which must be raised and lowered in adjusting the feed metering discharge opening of the apparatus of the '425 patent, the feeder disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,511 utilizes a ring member positioned coaxially about, and in contact with, the discharge end of the feed container. In this manner, only the ring need be raised and lowered relative to the feed trough, to provide an adjustable feed metering throat or gate between the adjacent edge of the ring and the fixed hopper bottom.
Another example of an adjustable self-feeder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,329, wherein the feed containing hopper is positioned above a base member, and the feed is discharged from the container through a central aperture into the feeding trough. The feed is then dispensed outwardly from the central aperture by a feed wheel which is rotated by a feeding animal. In order to prevent feed spillage and waste, the effort required to rotate the feed wheel increases with the quantity of feed contained in the feeding trough. The flow of feed material to the feed wheel may be varied by fixing the feed hopper at different heights relative to the feed trough base.
While the feeders described in each of these prior art patents may have been somewhat satisfactory, none has overcome the problem caused by the variation in the quantity of feed material contained within the feed hopper. Even those feeders which provide for adjustment of the feed metering throat or gate, require that such a manual adjustment must be repeatedly made as the quantity of feed material contained within the feed storage container or hopper changes. Such an adjustment may provide a partial solution, and an improvement over non-adjustable feeders, but as the quantity of feed material contained within the container or hopper again changes, further manual adjustment becomes necessary to prevent feed waste. The dispensing rate still remains dependent upon the amount of feed material contained in the feed storage container or hopper.
One attempt to provide a self-feeder which eliminates this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,057 wherein an adjustable feed throat is provided to vary the quantity of feed material dispensed so that changes in the rate of feed flow to consuming hogs may be varied throughout the entire growth cycle of the animals. While a variable gate mechanism is disclosed to attain this objective, the feed material itself is not contained in a feed storage hopper or container. The feed supply is delivered to the feed dispensing mechanism by a feed conveyor which includes an auger tube and auger for delivering the feed material to the dispensing mechanism in controlled quantities.
Frequently feeder units are used in a fence line application for feeding hogs in two adjacent pens separated by the fence line in which the feeder is positioned. In such applications, if the dispensing of feed is not responsive to the amount of feed consumed by the hogs, feed is wasted. For example, in a fence line application, wherein hogs are contained in only one pen, it is extremely important to minimize the effect that the weight of the feed retained in the storage hopper has on the feed metering discharge gate to prevent continuous over-fill and spillage in the empty pen due to the animal feeding in the adjacent pen.
In the present invention, a large quantity of feed material is retained in a main storage hopper which, in turn, supplies the feed to a dispensing hopper through a lateral discharge opening. The dispensing hopper then stores smaller quantity of feed and is provided with a feed metering gate through which the feed is dispensed substantially independent of the quantity of feed material contained within the main storage hopper.
Feed passing from the dispensing hopper through the metering gate is discharged into a feed trough and made available to the animals in response to the quantity consumed, and substantially independent of the quantity of material contained within the main storage hopper. Therefore, the amount of feed in the trough remains substantially constant for a given setting of the metering gate; and feed wastage is minimized or eliminated.